Virginia horse person of the day

Meet Randy Abernathy: Horse trainer and clinician

Randy Abernathy Randy Abernathy

McKenney horse trainer and clinician Randy Allen Abernathy says one of the most important lessons he has learned working with horses is that “We have way more control over how we feel than most people know. Over the years I learned not to get upset while working with a horse. Whenever I would lose my temper it would slow down my training. So over time I learned to control whether I got upset or not. Pretty soon I found that if I started to get upset I could refocus my thoughts and not get angry at all. The better I got at NOT losing my temper the faster the horse learned. Then I started applying the same principle to the rest of my life. I found happiness and peace are things you choose not things that happen to you. You can't control what happens to you a lot of the time but you can control what you do and think. By controlling what you think you decide how you feel. This one principle can have a profound effect on your quality of life. Choose well.”

More on Randy

Name: Randy Allen Abernathy.

Born: Petersburg.

Family: Wife Bunnie Abernathy; sister Ann Winn; brother Ben Abernathy.

Pets: One fish; one house rabbit named Willie Two; five dogs (Wilbur, Dixie, Lucky, Star and Gus).

Horses: My retired demo horse whom we raised (Damien); 30-year-old leopard Appaloosa (Joker); 6-year-old Overo Paint mare (Lakotah); 10-year-old dark solid Appaloosa mare (Dancer); 2-year-old buckskin colt (Moon); 6-year-old sorrel mule (Elvis).

Occupation: Trainer/clinician.

Hobbies: Horses, wood carving and quantum physics and spending time with my best friend/wife Bunnie!

What is your claim to fame: Well there are many things I could talk about. I have helped many people with their horses over the years. I have judged and participated in colt-starting challenges. I have been to northern Europe several times conducting clinics and demos but the thing that I am the most proud of is that in all the years i have been helping people with their horses, I have never had a person or horse get seriously hurt. In my clinics SAFETY is No.1. I work very hard to keep my clients and horses safe as they learn. I am truly proud of our safety record.

Philosophy on life: Believe in God and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Try to leave every situation better than you found it.

What's the best horse advice you have ever received? When working with a horse try your best to convince him that you are not going to hurt him. Being able to control your horse without pain will create a trust and build a respect that is hard to explain to most riders. Your horse will do unbelievable things for you if he is sure you are not going to hurt him. It's amazing.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? That I help people with their horses because I want to help them and help horses have better lives. There are a lot of things that I could do that would be easier on my body and make more money but I believe God has given me a gift with horses. So this for me is not about money, fame or fortune. I will do this as long as I can with the hopes of leaving the world a little better than I found it. Most people train or work with horses because they like them. But if I was going for fun then I would ride just for pleasure. Trying to teach others is very hard work but worth every minute.